Exploring the Role of Scaffolding in EFL Paragraph Writing Instruction

This quasi-experimental study investigates the effectiveness of scaffolding in teaching paragraph writing to Iranian intermediate learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Despite their moderate proficiency in grammatical and lexical skills, these learners typically struggled with constructing coherent paragraphs. Employing Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) framework, this research applied structured scaffolding interventions to improve writing coherence and organization among intermediate EFL students. The findings indicate that through both theoretical instruction and practical application, scaffolding significantly enhanced the learners' ability to independently produce well-structured paragraphs. Quantitative results demonstrated notable improvements in the clarity of topic sentences, supporting details, coherence, and grammatical accuracy, with increases ranging from ۶۵% to ۸۵% in assessed writing metrics. Qualitatively, students showed an enhanced understanding of paragraph unity and the effective alignment of supporting details with main ideas. This study contributes to pedagogical strategies by confirming the significant role of scaffolding in EFL contexts, particularly in fostering independent writing skills and a deeper comprehension of text structure.

کلیدواژه ها:

scaffolding ، interaction ، zone of proximal development (ZPD) ، paragraph writing